Analog instrument gauge displays are the most common instrument gauge display types in motor vehicles for relating vehicle speed, engine speed, coolant temperature, time, and the like to the driver. This gauge display type, which has a moving needle or needles set in front of a stationary patterned back plate, is useful for quickly imparting vehicle or other information to the motor vehicle driver. Many vehicle drivers find an analog display is less distracting and more easily read in a variety of conditions than is a digital display.
Almost all analog gauge displays rely on the instrument gauge needle or needles being attached to a post that is substantially perpendicular to the back plate of the gauge. The display needle post extends outwardly from the back plate proximate the center of the gauge, and is connected directly or indirectly through gearing, a linkage, or the like to a motor that drives the gauge needle. The motor receives signals from the engine control unit or other computer control, and then turns the post, and thus the needle, in response to the signals, so that the gauge needle points to the correct value on the gauge face.
Unfortunately, the fact that this needle post extends outwardly from roughly the center of the back plate limits the useable space on the gauge back plate. It is difficult to increase the functionality of an existing gauge by adding graphics in the form of a liquid crystal display (LCD) or other display to the gauge back plate because the needle post takes up the center of the back plate. Currently, motor vehicle manufacturers have skirted this problem by using LCDs that are small enough to fit on the useable space on the back plate, away from the center of the back plate, or they place the LCD in front of the needle on the gauge. Both of these solutions, however, create vision-related problems, as they make the display more difficult to read in a glance and thus make it more difficult to assimilate the information being displayed.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have an analog instrument gauge display that is configured to display more information, in a more readily assimilated manner, than do presently available displays. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.